


Harbingers of Death

by TheSmolFlexibleBean



Category: No End [Web Comic]
Genre: M/M, No End characters belong to Kromi and Erli, The character Carson/Banshee was created by DragonetteEye, This is an Oc Fic
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-12-06
Updated: 2017-12-08
Packaged: 2019-02-11 05:00:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,917
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12927999
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheSmolFlexibleBean/pseuds/TheSmolFlexibleBean
Summary: Running. All they had ever done was run. A medical bird and a ghost with explosives. But every runner always has someone chasing; and when they catch up, not even hell will take their souls.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So I was given blessing by one of the creators of No End [Bless you Kromi] to post my No End fic! If you haven't read it, it's a GREAT post-apocalyptic LGBT+ comic series that I'm obsessed with! A link to the comic will be down below.

_ “Hey, Raven.” A voice called from down the hallway as Raven turned, eyes heavily with exhaustion. _ _  
_

__  
_ “Oh...Robin. What’s wrong?” He took another swig of his coffee, trying to wake himself up for yet another long shift. _ __  


__  
_ “Uhm...Well. Can we talk? It’s about…” Robin looked away. _ __  


__  
_ “Wight...Yeah. My rounds don’t start for a few more minutes. Let’s go get something better than this coffee.” He gave a tired smile to his old friend. _ __  


__  
_ Robin smiled and they headed off to the cafeteria. Two little medical birds still trying to find their wings in the masses of people. Soon enough both of them had better coffee and were discussing the case they  _ **_affectionately_ ** _ called ‘The Wight Incident’. _ __  


__  
_ “See? It doesn’t make sense. Wight and his sister don’t sound an all clear. There’s all that blood. Then Cottonmouth goes out with Crow and a few others and only Crow comes back with a bullet in his head. If they only defected why would they run. Why would there be so much blood!” _ __  


__  
_ “Robin, calm down. Think of it rationally. All that blood could have been a zombie attack. Maybe your boyfriend got attacked and fought them off. Maybe his sister was bitten. We have no idea what happened that night but zombie or person, someone got hurt. Cottonmouth went to look for them and disappears. Do you want my honest opinion? I think it was a planned defection. Take out the others, run off to never be found.” _ __  


__  
_ “But why!” _ __  


__  
_ “Stress, pressure. Nobody really knows what causes a soldier to go rouge…” He sighed. “I better get to my rounds. We’re still agreed on the switch right?” _ __  


__  
_ “Of course Raven. I mean, you really need to get out for a while.” Robin smiled which made Raven smile softly and run his fingers through his short hair. _ __  


_  
_ _ “Yeah...I really do.” _

__  
__  
Nicolas shot up in bed, looking around as the echoes of laughter faded from his mind.  _ Another damn dream. _ He sighed and undid his braided hair, going to a mirror to brush it out. It was always Robin in those dreams, that little songbird worried about his boyfriend. Back then he knew damn well one of them probably had been killed and there was a panic. But he never had the heart to tell him. And what Crow mumbled when he first gained consciousness.  __ Infected. It really did make him worry about his friend.   


  
He shook away the thought as he rebraided his hair and grabbed the nearest hat to hide it under. Today it was a beanie. He nodded to himself and got dressed. After all, he had patients to see now that he was back in Hades for a while. When he went for his bag his companion woke up, stretching and shaking out his fur.   


  
“Sirius. To me.”   


  
The dog responded and sleepily walked to him, following him out of the small space they called home when they were in the zone. A quiet doctor and his huge dog, saving lives as best they could. 

 

He honestly couldn’t tell how many times he still heard that echoed laughter. Whether it was his own or the laughter of other soldiers. That was back when he was happy just saving the military and those rich and affluent enough to afford the care. People outside, on the edges like here, they hadn’t seen those things. Well, not really until he arrived.   


  
As he strolled through the zone he pulled out his book of plants, flicking through. He needed to get some more samples if he truly wanted to test the effects. Maybe it would create a new poison. He never knew until he tried after all.   


  
He had been so caught up in his thoughts he didn’t even realize he bumped into someone, his eyes drifting up for a moment before shooting back down.  _ No. It couldn’t be. _ He mumbled a quick apology and sidestepped, rushing past with his face paler than he ever thought possible. He could have sworn he’d just seen a ghost. One that had been plaguing his mind for years.   


  
Now one should never look a Cottonmouth in the eyes; that’s what the wives’ tales of old said. But how could he not stare into them and panic. Now he was rushing off to the wall, trying to get the air back into his lungs as his head echoed more and more laughter. Maybe he hadn’t noticed...after all, he was wearing his scarf over his mouth. His hair was hidden. Maybe he wouldn’t ask questions.   


  
He finally sighed, getting his head back in order as he went to work on his patients. He was more relaxed working on people than anything else, his hands moving precisely to clean wounds and stitch them up. His hands never shook and if someone was classified infected...well... _ off with their head. _   


  
Once that was done he went outside the walls just to get what he could call some ‘fresh air’. He watched the stray zombies that stumbled around with a calm and trained eye, his breathing almost nonexistant. Honestly if he had stayed in the military, learnt to fight better, he would have probably ended up the medic for spec ops. But the military wasn’t his priority anymore.   


  
That’s when his eyes landed on the groaning body nearby, raising his gun before lowering it.  _ Not dead, that’s a live one. _ He rushed over and got them to their feet as he stumbled inside the walls once more. He knew nobody would question a doctor with a bloodied person. He knew the protocols for infection too. So off he went to the one place he’d be safe to work. Ramona’s.   


  
He only made eye contact with her as he set the stranger down, checking him over. No bites, no claw marks. He wasn’t infected just...dazed and smelling like gunpowder. He groaned internally, now realizing he’d found the arson of Hades. Sure he’d heard of Carson but never in his life did he think he’d meet him.   


  
He gave a nod to Ramona and pulled out a little package, waving it under his nose to wake him up. It was weird, seeing the guy twitch and then sneeze before he woke up fully, looking around and huffing. Then his eyes landed on Nicolas and he smirked.   


  
“Well hello there sexy. Paging Doctor Hottie.” He winked and Nicolas rolled his eyes, getting up.   


  
“You’re fine. As usual.” He huffed and pulled his scarf down, stepping back so the other could stand up.   


  
“And you’re extra fine.” He laughed and got up, gently pulling the scarf down on Nicolas’ face. “Nice lips too.”   


  
“E-Excuse me?!” Nicolas’ cheeks lit up and he looked away. “Please don’t do that.”   


  
“Sorry. Just messing with you. I’ll be off.” Carson saluted and Nicolas sighed, sliding his beanie off.   


  
“And once more, my life is plagued by men.” He went to the bar and sat down, ordering a drink to hopefully get his heart to quiet down.   


  
What he once again didn’t notice was a group of people entering the bar, which at that moment had only been host to Ramona and the dear doctor of Hades. He was too focused on the prospects of numbing his romantic inklings for roguish men to even care about the group...until he heard a gasp.   


  
Nicolas looked up from his drink and internally had a panic attack. Jonah, Cottonmouth and Jenn, all together with some puppy looking guy and...Benny? He got up and quirked a brow as Benny ran over with a smile.   


  
“Nicolas. It’s been a while.” Benny actually seemed happy to see him... _ not good. _ Especially when he noticed Cottonmouth’s arm in a sling.   


  
“Well my dear courier, my work is never done. Now who are these people? I didn’t know you travelled in groups now.” He smiled softly but there was a slight edge to it.   


  
“Uhm...I’m not a courier anymore. They’re a group I travel with.” Benny rubbed the back of his neck.   


  
“Well then...welcome to Hades travelers. I’m Nicolas, herbalist, doctor and Ramona’s favorite drinker!” He smiled, not meeting the eyes of his former fellow soldiers. He knew they were probably noticing how familiar he looked, his speech patterns and his eyes but he wouldn’t give them the satisfaction of knowing they weren’t the only defectors.   


  
Benny actually seemed to laugh and then look back at the crew with a nervous trail off before looking back to Nicolas. He knew what was going on now. Benny wanted him to treat their wounds. Based on the look Cottonmouth was giving, he would probably die first.   


  
“If you’re asking for medical advice I cannot give it to you. My work for the day is over and I will not treat an unwilling patient. That’s how someone gets scars.” He then noticed Jenn’s eyes narrow.  _ Fuck she knew now didn’t she. _ Nicolas just grabbed his glass and sat back down, nursing his drink. “I suppose it is what doctors outside of the military do. We fight against those who don’t want to be saved. No matter. I’m glad you have found company Benny.”   


  
Benny nodded and one of the other figures came up, a man with blue hair. The man seemed unafraid to sit by him and actually started up a conversation, asking his name.   


  
“Nicolas. It’s the name I was given and it is the one I stick to.” He smiled. “And yours?”   


  
“Modra. I’m sorry if they’re cold. They don’t like people.”   


  
“Well most people don’t like my kind anyways. We bring death in our wake.” Nicolas laughed dryly. “A harbinger of death if you will.” And there went another lightbulb in the group, Wight’s eyes going wide before looking away.  _ Ever clueless as always Cottonmouth. _   


  
Nicolas paid neither sibling mind though and just continued to softly converse with Modra until it was time for him to go. He got up and clicked twice, what had almost been mistaken for a skin rug moving to his side and growling at the group. Nicolas then tapped the dog’s forehead and it calmed down, becoming friendly once more as he headed off. “Put the drink on my tab.”   


  
He knew as soon as he left the group would grill Ramona for information. He’d probably have to leave at sunrise if that was the case. After all, he couldn’t let them know he was here. They’d think he was undercover military or worse and he didn’t want military bullshit on his hands. Not today at least. So off he headed for home.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My beta is 85% of my impulse control fic wise and they are not stopping me from posting this.

Carson hadn’t meant to be that close to the blast zone, but honestly, when you see a group of attractive people you get a little...preoccupied. At least for the few crucial seconds you need so you don’t hurt yourself with your own explosives. So instead of taking the usual few feet of space; he blew up some trees with his new formula...and gave himself some blowback. Okay  _ a lot _ of blowback but in his defense when he thought it over later, he did end up seeing that handsome doctor that blew in on occasion.   


  
He didn’t know much about that man except for the fact he never went about without gloves and clothes that covered every inch of skin.  _ Like that’d do him much good honestly, the dog scared people enough. _ At least he now knew about that scar he had, how soft those lips looked...And there he went thinking about it again. This was why he always kept getting hurt.   


  
Well at least he could enjoy going back to Ramona’s right? Maybe get into some mischief with her kid. There was probably some good gossip to drink in whilst he was at it. He didn’t expect the group from earlier though...huh. The girl was pretty cute.   


  
He practically slid over to the group, smirking like a little asshole as he basically wedged himself into the conversation. “Well hello there hot stuff, care for a dri-” And he got punched. That was fair in all honesty, but still, he didn’t even get his line out!   


  
He huffed and rubbed his jaw, picking his ass that was just handed to him up and trying to get his brain back in order. “Damn, didn’t expect you to be so feisty. Though girls with some fight are always the best.”   


  
“Do you want to have to visit that doctor, again? I can arrange it.” She glared at him.   


  
“Well he’s probably got a great ass but I think my social calendar’s pretty full on the injury side.” He laughed. “Name’s Carson by the way, what’s yours?”   


  
“None of your business.” She huffed and looked to Ramona who only gave a shrug in response. This was common for him after all so she wouldn’t do anything.   


  
“Well then, what’s the name of that handsome hunk of man meat with you. With the bad shoulder.” He was practically purring the words and most of the group was obviously cringing a bit. But as usual, Cotton was oblivious to the blatant flirting.   


  
“Name’s Cotton.” He smiled.   


  
“Is it ‘cause your skin’s like cotton or are you just a soft snuggler.” And the room groaned in the cringey atmosphere.   


  
Thankfully the cringe was not to last as Maverick rushed in, shutting the door behind him. “Mom. Trouble.” He looked to the group and gulped. “We have  _ bird _ related trouble.” Everyone froze, including Carson. He knew what was going on now.  _ Crow. _ Carson suddenly got a serious look to his face as he got up. “Sorry to cut this short...I better go help.” And with that he was gone, leaving the group with a worrying sense of unease.   


  
Ramona quickly got the group down to the safehouse below as Carson rushed home to avoid what could be a dangerous encounter for himself. He was from Nyx after all. He’d met Crow. And if Crow saw him...he’d be a dead little ghost now wouldn’t he.   


  
That’s when he saw Nicolas out of the corner of his eye, rushing away with his bear, er, dog fast on his heels. That glimpse he got of his eyes. Was that actual fear? Terror in a doctor...He was worried that maybe he wasn’t the one Crow might be after. He quickly turned a corner and ducked into a crevice between two buildings, leaving Nicolas still out in the open.   


  
Said man was definitely panicking. If Crow saw his face then he’d know that he wasn’t dead. That all those medical supplies weren’t ‘lost’ but actually stolen. That his own depression made him defect and fake his disappearance. He didn’t want anyone to know what he’d done. The secrets he held. So as soon as he could get to Ramona’s he ran to the safe house and knocked.   


  
He heard the door open a crack and Maverick peer out. “Oh. It’s you. Occupied.” Maverick frowned and Nicolas pulled down his scarf to speak. He wasn’t having this shit.   


  
“Maverick I swear to god if you don’t open this door I will throttle you! They raided my damn house!”   


  
Maverick stepped back and Nicolas walked in...immediately seeing the people he was hoping not to run into. He visibly winced and went to back out of the safe house only for the door to close.  _ Dammit Maverick. _ He took a calming breath and focused.   


  
“Okay...You probably have questions…” He held his hands up defensively as Jenn got close to him, grabbing the front of his shirt. “Please don’t hit me.”   


  
“Start talking  _ Raven _ .” Jenn growled. “Why are you here. Were you sent by Crow?”   


  
Nicolas looked astonished. “What?! No! I’m running from him!” He kept his hands up, mostly because he was scared Jenn might kill him then and there. “I’ve been away from the military for two years! Soon after you all defected!”   


  
“He doesn’t know then. Good.” Jenn let go of his shirt and he tried to fix it, looking around to notice Sirius wasn’t by his side.   


  
“Shit...I gotta get Sirius. Look we can talk this over after I get back, that dog is everything to me.” He was out of the door before any of the group had time to stop him. He snuck around until he found his dog, lying in front of Ramona’s completely unharmed. He couldn’t help but let out a sigh of relief as he whistled for his dog.   
  


“Ah, there’s my little bird~” The voice was low, almost sinister as a cloth went over Nicolas’ face and everything went dark.   


  
Carson, during this, had been hiding in his crevice, listening to the sounds around him. He’d gotten this far already...maybe he could just make it to his house, find what he needed and sneak off. It was a simple plan but a good one. It’d saved his ass countless times before after all.   


  
He slowly crept out of his hiding place, moving slowly like a fearful animal as he rounded a corner. One step. Two. And then he heard the bang of a gun and he was knocked to the ground. When he tried to get up, he instead got a boot planted firmly on his chest.   
  


“Another little insect plopped into my web...Well I wasn’t looking for  _ a ghost _ but it will work all the same.”   


  
He was pulled up by his hair and a pistol butt met his face, the world going dark.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So the fic marches on and I have to thank Jay from the bottom of my heart for betaing this chapter. Enjoy!~

Nicolas was the first to wake up, his head swimming and groggy.  _ What the hell had happened...no...he knew well enough.  _ **_Crow._ ** He tried to take in his surroundings as quickly as he could, knowing he might be in a load of trouble soon.   


  
White walls, white floor. One other chair in the room, occupied by...Carson. Great. Of all people, why did they want  _ that idiot. _ He quickly checked over his body as well as he could but no extra scalpels or the likes came to him. He’d been picked clean.   


  
He sighed and instead waited for his inevitable doom...which wasn’t coming. His vision cleared just as he heard groaning from across the room. Carson had awoken. Nicolas could see a bruise forming near his temple on his right side, right on top of his eyepatch strap. That must have hurt. In the dim light Nicolas could see that the other's jacket and sweater were torn and glistening. Blood, likely from a knife wound or gunshot. Carson didn't go down easily. The man shot up suddenly before appearing to regret his movement instantly as he winced. Carson then looked forward, his gray eye darting to Nicolas’ brown ones. A question could be found in both gazes. A silent conversation of fear and confusion. Carson's mouth moved as though he was about to speak, or maybe scream. Nicolas hoped it wasn't the second one.

 

The door opened and Crow walked in with a clipboard and a cigarette dangling from his mouth.  _ Not good. He had that self righteous look to his eye. _ Nicolas didn’t even make eye contact, just staring away at the wall.   


  
“Kristoff Arazon and Edmund Carson Levit. A Raven and a Banshee...hm.” Nicolas could heard the ‘mightier than thou’ in his tone already. “Though I was only looking for a little bird, having a  _ dead  _ special ops soldier would sweeten the deal.”   


  
Nicolas listened to the footsteps as Crow rounded his chair before punching him hard in the jaw. When that didn’t elicit a reaction he decided to punch him harder. He could already taste copper in his mouth and tried to keep his face as neutral as possible. “What do you want from me…”   


  
“The truth. You disappear without any trace...and wind up in Hades. Right after Cotton and the others defect. You’re obviously with them and I want answers.  **Now.** “   


  
Nicolas got a nice cigarette end to the cheek for not answering immediately and he winced at the pain. “I...Was attacked. Lost my way. Ended up in Hades. Haven’t seen any of them since before they disappeared.”   


  
Apparently that didn’t satisfy Crow well enough since he got a nice slash across his chest from a knife he pulled from his waist. “Liar. We know they’re in Hades and that Cotton is injured. You would have been the one to treat him!” He got a nice kick to his chest as a sort of punctuation to the statement as he almost fell backwards, Crow catching the chair end. “Tell the truth.”   


  
“I-I haven’t seen them! Why would they come to me anyways! They’d assume I’m military! I disappeared after them! They’d assume I was still on the medical staff!” He shut his eyes, actually a bit scared he’d lose one if he kept them open as the chair was lowered. A beat passed. Then two. He felt Crow move from his position looming over him as he let his eyes finally open again.   


  
“Believable...but then where were your guards that night.” Crow had a smirk to his voice. Thank god Nicolas knew how to think fast or this might have ended so much worse for both him and Carson.   


  
“Off fucking. They didn’t even notice the attack.” He got a knife to the thigh for that one as he yelped.  _ And to think that time he was actually telling the truth. _ He barely had time to register what had happened before Crow moved back.   


  
“Fine...then I’ll see what  _ dear little Edmund _ has to say.” Crow turned and stalked over to Carson, ready to interrogate him. Before he could even get one sentence out, Crow was cut off by a boot being swung right at his head, knocking him off balance as Carson then kicked him hard in the chest.   


  
“Not today, Satan! I ain’t going back if it kills me! Also, your knots are shit.” Carson took the precious seconds he had to rush to Nicolas. There wasn’t even a warning before he pulled the knife out and untied him before grabbing his hand.   


  
And then they were running, well, mostly limping, as they made their way through the base that Crow was calling home for now.  The worst part of it was the quiet, both men knowing there would... _ should _ have been alarms of any kind. Not even Crow chasing after them. They didn’t question it either, knowing they had to find their things.

  
_ There was...a lot of blood too. _ It was like someone stormed the place just a few minutes before and cleared it out. Neither of them questioned it as they found their things. Nothing was too disturbed but the pain in Nicolas’ leg was getting hard to bear. Or maybe he was suffering from blood loss. It would explain his dizziness.   


  
“Dammit...no time for this!” He felt himself get picked up as he shut his eyes, resting his face on whatever was moving him at that moment.   


  
That just happened to be Carson who was carrying the good doctor piggy back style out of the base and hiding when he could. It was hard, not knowing if Crow was around every corner but he knew he had to get to Ramona’s. There they would be safe.   


  
Carson stumbled into the safe house and heard voices, ignoring them as he dropped to the floor and passed out with Nicolas’ body sprawled beside him, his head still pounding from the pistol whip hours before.

**Author's Note:**

> \- https://noendcomic.com/comic/chapter-1-cover Begin your journey <3


End file.
